The Queen Mary of the skies

Just imagine a passenger aircraft that feels as spacious as the main deck of a car ferry - with duty-free shops, takeaway food counters and even a gym.

A plane where you don't have to stay rooted to your seat for seven hours or more, but in which you are encouraged to get up and walk around.

In this brave new airline world, flight attendants won't block the aisle with never-ending food-and-drink services - you'll be able to go to the bar to get a drink or visit a food counter to collect a meal.

This is the exciting futuristic prospect being offered by the new double-decker Airbus A380 'super jumbo' aircraft which is due to enter service in little more than two years' time.

Three weeks ago I hailed Cunard's stunning new ocean liner, Queen Mary 2. Well, this aircraft is the Queen Mary of the skies.

Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic, one of the first airlines to take delivery of the plane for service in 2006, describes it as an 'absolute dream'.

'We pride ourselves on the comfort and service we offer to the business traveller in Upper Class - now, with the space offered on the A380, we're looking to offer similar higher standards of comfort and service to economy-class passengers,' he said.

In an all-economy-class configuration the 240ft-long aircraft could accommodate more than 800 passengers - almost twice as many as a Boeing 747.

However, most airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, are planning to carry around 555 people in three classes.

A mock-up of an A380 interior in Airbus's Toulouse factory illustrates the sort of revolution in travel that the new aircraft will introduce.

When you board, you pass not only a bookstall but also a spacious lavatory cubicle complete with full-size shower.

There is also a restaurant counter, a large bar area and plenty of space to lounge and chat. Parallel developments mean that within the next year, we shall be able to watch live TV broadcasts in-flight, access the Internet from our seats, send e-mails and almost certainly use our mobile phones (a step forward or a step back?).

The lavish A380 mock-up so far shows only the first-class areas but if, as the manufacturer says, the same sense of spaciousness is carried towards the back of the plane, the experience of air travel will be transformed.

The wide staircase at the front of the aircraft, which connects the upper and lower decks, provides impressive evidence to the boarding passenger that the A380 is like no aircraft we have ever seen before.

The introduction of such a big plane will require rapid modification of facilities at airports which will be used by the A380 - taxiways will have to be widened and runways strengthened.

New airbridges will eventually need to be installed to allow passengers to exit directly from the upper deck.

Although the new plane carries at least 100 more passengers than a 747, Airbus reckons that the new plane will be able to complete its airport turnaround in about 90 minutes - only about ten minutes longer than it takes existing jumbo jets.

The introduction of the A380 is being warmly welcomed by airports - and national governments - because it means that they can handle more passengers without having to build new runways. At Heathrow, for example, the airport will be able to process ten million more passengers a year.

There will also be other beneficial effects. Airbus claims the A380 will be half as noisy on take-off as the Boeing 747.

New engines will offer greater fuel efficiency - cost savings of around 20 per cent could mean cheaper fares.

With Virgin Atlantic now having won the rights to offer scheduled services from London to Sydney via Hong Kong next year, the advent of the A380 means the possibility of a serious fare war between London and Australia - the first time there will ever have been price competition on the route.

We should, of course, be cautious about getting too excited at the claims made for new aircraft.

When Boeing launched the 747 more than 30 years ago, airlines said that it would offer major improvements in spaciousness and comfort.

In the early days, for example, Pan Am turned the then small upstairs section of the plane into a restaurant, other airlines configured the area as a bar and lounge.

But when the oil crisis struck and airlines battled for survival, every spare square foot on the 747 was given over to seating.

Passengers were packed in like sardines and legroom has been at a premium ever since. With the new A380, however, airlines have a chance to make a fresh start.

Air travel may become comfortable and pleasant for all passengers - not just those sitting at the front end of the plane.

Do you have a question to ask Frank Barrett? Click here to ask him online, or write to him at The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT.